Maersk Line had added a new service from Latin America to Europe and a new call on an existing service in the trade lane in an effort to tap one of the areas where container lines can still gain steadily profitable business: reefer cargo.

North Europe’s stagnant economy is expected to produce a decline in container volume at the region’s ports during the first half of 2016, Hackett Associates and the Hamburg-based Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics said.

Port productivity and the ability to handle mega-ships are key drivers for shipping lines in selecting routes and ports of call and German ports must adapt to this new reality if they are to remain competitive.

The Port of Hamburg handled 6.8 percent fewer containers in the first half of 2015 than a year ago, as sharply lower Russian and Chinese traffic hampered the German port's goal to become the No. 2 container gateway in North Europe.